My proposed area of research training is AIDS at the basic biomedical research level. I want to develop a solid knowledge base about AIDS and all of the disease's manifestations in women, men and children. By knowing more about the specific cellular and molecular activity involved in the development of the disease, we could prevent the disease entirely or cure it in its early stages. In particular with AIDS, it would be fascinating to understand the mechanism of transmission from an infected, pregnant mother to newborn infant. In a few cases, the mother has the disease yet it does not manifest itself in the child; or the mother has AIDS and initially the child is seropositive for the disease but later the disease seems to become latent or disappears altogether. Herein lies my decision to pursue a combined MD/PhD degree. AIDS is a multifaceted disease which requires an understanding of both basic and clinical research. The MARC predoctoral fellowship will allow me to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research, by supporting both my research training and leading to the combined MD/PhD degree.